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Something happened on the way to better data quality...

In our organization's journey to better manage data quality, I'd have to say "Something happened on the way to better data quality"...

What happened? Well, somewhere along the way we realized that around 80% of the "issues" we were having were not "technology" problems but "social" issues. These "social" (or human issues) include, but are not limited to: - incorrect or incomplete understanding of the issues clients were facing - incorrect "configurations" - a.k.a. "Fat Fingering" entries in forms - insufficient responses to client's concerns

Granted however, we still have technology issues which I anticipate account for the remaining 20% of issues brought to our attention from clients.

In traditional IT help desk lingo, most of these social issues get swept under the rug by the help desk technician calling the error "user error". All too often these technicians make the user/client feel kind of stupid for asking such a silly question.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if the issues you have are social or technical in nature, clients see them as "one in the same" and will by default blame the technology. They do this because most of the time they aren't quite as "data aware" as you are. In your efforts to better manage data quality, be sure to understand the social side of the issues being brought to your attention and see if you can address these along with the technical issues you can solve. Sooner or later your clients will have had "enough" issues to cause them to look elsewhere for a solution, so be sure to address these social issues in a timely and professional manner and NEVER make the person asking the question feel stupid for asking the question.